Contents

The Political Process

The Political Process

Running for Office

Review Questions

Voter turnout is the number of citizens who vote in a given
election. Americans tend to vote in low numbers. For much of the last few decades,
about half of eligible people voted in presidential elections; the numbers are even
smaller for off-year congressional elections (usually about 35 to 40 percent) and
lower in local elections (less than 25 percent).

Voting Elsewhere

Most democracies have much higher voter turnouts than does the United
States. In Belgium, for example, turnout is usually about 90 percent. Some
countries even forbid nonvoting: Those who do not vote must pay a
fine.

Explanations for Low Turnout

Why do Americans vote in small numbers? Political scientists have
suggested a number of reasons:

Inconvenience: For many, getting to the polling place on
election day is very difficult: Many people have to work, and some have
trouble getting to their precinct.

Registration: All voters must register ahead of the
election (sometimes a month or more in advance); the registration process
can be confusing and at times difficult to follow.

Similarity of the parties: Some citizens believe the
parties are very similar, so voting will not make a difference

Alienation: People do not vote because they feel that the
government does not care about them or listen to their concerns.

Frequency of elections: Americans hold elections more
frequently than most other democracies; voters find it difficult to vote on
so many different days.

Lack of competitiveness: Many races in the United States
are very lopsided, so voters are likely to stay home, thinking the outcome
is a foregone conclusion.

The Effects of Low Turnout

Some people argue that low turnout rewards Republicans because
minorities, who tend to vote Democrat, are the least likely to vote. Others
argue that election outcomes would be roughly the same even if everyone
voted because the preferences of nonvoters are similar to those of
voters.

The Multiple Meanings of Low Turnout

Some scholars and pundits fret over low turnout, convinced that low
turnout undermines democracy. Democracy is government by the people, they argue,
and when people do not vote, they give up their part of popular sovereignty. Low
turnout also reflects a strong sense of alienation among the public, a bad sign
for America’s legitimacy.

Other scholars argue the opposite. Low turnout is a sign of a healthy
democracy because it reflects satisfaction with the government. According to
this view, people only vote when they feel threatened or angered about an issue.
People who do not vote, then, are content with the status quo.

Voting Behavior

Political scientists use the term voting behavior to describe
what voters do and what motivates them to do it. Put differently, students of
voting behavior seek to answer the question: Why do voters make the choices they
do? A variety of factors affect whether and how a person votes, including a
person’s age, wealth, education, race or ethnicity, gender, religion,
geographical location, partisanship, and issues at stake. Political scientists
sometimes make generalizations about people’s voting behavior based on these
factors: Historically, women and African Americans have tended to vote Democrat,
people from the South tend to vote Republican, and wealthier people tend to vote
Republican, except for the extremely wealthy, who usually vote Democrat. The
following table summarizes how some factors affect whether eligible voters
vote.

WHO VOTES?

Factor

Effect

Age

Senior citizens vote in very large numbers, whereas
young people (18–30) vote in small numbers

Education

Increased education leads to increased
voting

Wealth

Wealthier people tend to vote more than poorer people,
but the wealthiest people usually vote Democrat

Race

White people vote more than minorities

Competitiveness of Candidates

Overall, people are more likely to vote in hotly
contested elections

Retrospective and Prospective Voting

Some political scientists contend that people engage in retrospective
voting: Voters use the past few years to decide how to vote. In general, if
a voter thinks that the country has done well over the last few years, he or
she votes for the party in power. If the voter believes that the country has
done poorly, he or she votes for the opposition party. Other scholars argue
that Americans engage in prospective voting, which is voting with an eye to
the future. People vote for the candidates that they believe will do the
most to help the country in the next few years.